I Tried the Wildly Popular Crab Dip Melt Bagel Recipe and It Was the Best Thing I’ve Had All Week

I can’t remember the last time I had a crab melt. To me, crab melt is like the tuna melt’s fancier cousin, and it’s something I never thought I’d enjoy outside of a seafood restaurant while vacationing on a shore. So the last thing on my mind was making one myself in my kitchen. That is until I saw Owen Han’s recipe for a delicious-looking Crab Dip Melt Bagel.

This recipe had all my favorite things: seafood, Old Bay, and melted cheese — which is why I was so excited to try it as soon as I saw it come across my feed. The spin on this particular dip, however, is that it is thrown on a bagel, making it an anytime-of-the-day eat. And, the best part of it all is that the ingredients are quick to throw together, and the recipe consists (mostly) of things I already had on hand.

Get the recipe: Crab Dip Melt Bagel

Heat 2 tablespoons of butter. Once the butter is melted, add your pound of crab meat and season with Cajun seasoning, salt, and cayenne. You’ll want to use lump crab meat (preferably jumbo lump) because it has a higher amount of meat chunks and is less flaky than the other varieties. Cook until slightly brown, which should take 3-5 minutes.

While the crab is cooking, mix the cream cheese, sour cream, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, and zest in a bowl before whisking until fluffy. Add the scallion, garlic, and crab meat to the mix. 

Next, spread the crab dip on each bagel slice and top with cheddar cheese. Throw them in a 375°F preheated oven until the cheese is melted and bubbly. That should take about 10-15 minutes. In the video, Han torched it to brown the cheese and add some texture, but since I don’t trust myself near anything highly flammable, I threw it under the broiler for about five minutes. Lastly, garnish with Old Bay and scallions.

This crab dip melt tasted like something I would find at a seafood restaurant. I have to say, I was pretty impressed with this recipe and shocked that this marvelous creation came out of my kitchen. The melt was loaded with chunks of crab and melted cheese, and the Old Bay at the end added a fantastic layer. I wish the bagel came out a little toastier than it did, so next time, I’ll try to leave it in the oven a bit longer or start by toasting the bagel a bit before throwing it in the oven.

Overall, however, this was a fresh, filling, and fanciful meal. The crab topping was so tasty that I will definitely make it on its own and use a dip. Canned crab isn’t something I usually have in my cupboard, but after trying this, I’ll be sure to always have a can or two on hand.

Since I had a few ingredients left over, my goal is to give this spicy crab dip pasta bake recipe a try, which uses many of the same things.

1. Use lump crab meat. There are a few types of canned crab meat, so you’ll want to make sure to grab the jumbo lump crab meat or at least lump crab meat. Both contain larger chunks of meat than the other varieties.
2. Get the bagels nice and toasty. The only thing that could have made this outcome a bit better was a toastier bagel. I would keep it in the oven a little longer next time or experiment with toasting the bagel before putting it in the oven to get the crunch I desire.
3. Watch the cheese. It’s a thin line between browned and burnt, especially when broiling. Keep a close eye on the cheese and take it out when it is melted and bubbly.